Former Mayor Fabol Hughes received a jubilant send-off Monday from Katy community members and city leaders, as the new council held its first regular meeting since the May 6 elections. See what else was covered at the meeting:
  1. Katy applauds Fabol Hughes for service, time on council
Mayor Chuck Brawner presented Hughes with a proclamation and watch as a thank-you for Hughes’ time spent on the council from 2007 to May. Hughes was elected mayor in 2013 and in 2015. “And I want you to know we’ve had a fantastic council to work with. These guys are really terrific,” Hughes said to the council and his successor. “I appreciate this honor tonight, Mayor, and I’m—it’s a privilege to call you ‘mayor.’” In addition, members of Keep Katy Beautiful—a local chapter of the Keep America Beautiful nonprofit organization—and the Katy Police Department thanked Hughes for his service to the community.
  1. Homestead tax exemption extended for seniors and disabled residents
The council voted unanimously to extend its homestead tax exemption for city residents ages 65 and older and disabled residents from $90,000 to $100,000. City Administrator Byron Hebert said the move was the fifth installment of a five-year plan to expand the exemption. City Treasurer Becky Wilkins said the exemption for ages 65 and up as well as for disabled residents has increased by $10,000 each year, and that with Monday’s vote, a total 1,707 housing units were eligible for the exemption, according to data from the 2016 tax year. Wilkins could not say how much of an increase this would mean for the 2017 tax year, as more recent appraisals were not yet available, but said the taxable value of city homes owned by disabled residents and residents in the 65 and older age bracket was about $115 million. “When the mall’s bond [is] paid off, we had told the citizens of Katy we would start lowering the [tax] rate and bringing up the exemption,” Hebert said.
  1. Plan for Katy Mills Mall discussed in closed session
After discussing in closed session, the council approved in open a session a plan for revitalization of the Katy Mills Mall. Brawner said the plan was intended to shield the mall from potential losses like those seen from major national retailers, including Sports Authority, Sears and JCPenny. The council did not discuss the plan in open session and cited Sections 551.087 and 551.071 of the Texas Open Meetings Act which permits closed meetings for the discussion of offers from a business prospect to locate or expand in the city, as well as for attorney consultation by the council. Hebert did not comment on the plan but said any further development on the plan would be brought to the next council meeting.